Excavation completed of longest rail tunnel in UAE
30 July 2021It is only 1.8km in length, but the latest tunnel completed through the complex topography of Dubai’s Al Hajar Mountains will be the longest rail tunnel in the Gulf and constitutes a milestone in Etihad Rail’s development of the UAE network.
The tunnel forms part of Package 2D of the Gulf Railway project which comprises 145km of rail line from Dubai to Sharjah through the Al Hajar Mountains toward Fujairah. It includes the construction of nine mountain tunnels with a total length of 6.9km as well as 54 bridges and 20 underpasses.
Tunnel excavation was undertaken by drill and blast and required the excavation and removal of more than half a million tons of rock. The geology was homogenous with little water present and comprised mainly Late Cretaceous Harzburgite – a form of gabbro that is part of the Oman-UAE ophiolite and is generally a good rock for tunnelling. A poured concrete secondary lining is now being applied.
In completing the tunnel excavation, Etihad Rail has ensured that the project can continue successfully on schedule. When operational, the tunnel will play a major role in the rail connectivity between the port of Fujairah and the emirates of Dubai and Sharjah. It will link quarries producing construction material in the northern emirates with export points in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Fujairah.
Package 2 when completed will extend from Ghuweifat, on the border with Saudi Arabia to the emirate of Fujairah, on the east coast of the UAE.
